18 Month with Napping & Sleeping Problems

Hi T.,

Maybe she's extra tired because she's been sick? It sounds crazy but have you tried giving her a nap 2x a day or earlier? Maybe she's overtired? Especially if she's self soothing at night, it might be taking her longer to fall back asleep once she's woken up. It's just a thought.

Otherwise, you might try a warm bath before her bath just to get her in the "mode" and to loosen up any junk in her chest before she heads down for a nap.

Good luck! Messed up naps are the worst!

T.

p.s.
you've made it 2 weeks do not give her that paci, however tempting it may be. She's made so much progress it would be a shame to throw that away!

Hi T.,

There are several reasons that may cause her to not sleep well. She may be lacking in nutrients, her body may be to hot and she can not regulate her body temperature.

I am a wellness coach. There are solutions that will make a difference in her sleep.

If you are interested let me know and I will share.

Have a great day.

N. Marie

T.,

While the lose of the pacifier may not have had anything to do with her getting sick. To much change all at once can get to any of us. I would let her have the pacifier and get her to sleep without the motion. Are you playing music when she sleeps? In my childcare I play meditation music at nap time that has been known to knock out a 35 year old. The important thing is to let here know you are present with her for at least 5 minutes after she lays down. Maybe rubing her back as she goes to sleep. The pacifier should lose it's charm at some point. But remember we are all individual. So our melt down points vary. The CD I play is called Garden Of Serenity. I hope this is of some help to you.

she may have acid reflux is being propped up makes it easier to sleep...talk to your doctor and see if she has any other signs.

Though you don't directly ask this, it sounds like you are wondering if you should give her back the pacifier. I say don't. By this time she's over that enough that it isn't worth having to go through giving it up again later.
It does sound like being propped up is part of what is making her sleep better in the swing or in the car. She's probably having problems breathing when lying flat, so the suggestion to prop up one end of her bed is good. This can be simply accomplished by putting a firm pillow under one end of the mattress. You might also consider whether using a humidifier in the room when she's sleeping will help her breath better. Sometimes the effectiveness of that depends on why she is sick so you may want to ask her Dr. before using the humidifier.

I don't have any advice on how to help your daughter sleep, but I did see that she has been sick for two weeks now. Is she okay? That just seemed like such a long time. Everytime my kids have gotten sick, it only lasts for a about a week at the most. Just thought I'd check. I hope she feels better.

T.,
I would try propping one side of her bed up a bit so it is at an angle. My youngest daughter got sick a couple weeks ago and had more sleep issue than normal and I propped up her bed and she is at least sleeping now.
I hope this works for you.
Good luck!
J.

Give her back the pacifier, and try to ween her again when she's potty trained.